Cassidy Preserve
photo by Christine Kraft
About
A beautiful wetland natural area, the preserve was donated to the Trust by the Cassidy family in 1997.
Today, the Cassidy Preserve provides an inspiring scenic vista!
Introduced to the Trust by Paul Stoutenberg in 1995, the Cassidy family was in search of a conservation plan for their 58+ acre property in Greenport, which included a family home, farmland, woodlands and wetlands . . . land the family had farmed for many decades.
Bordering Hashamomuck Pond, the property could have been divided into a standard 19-lot subdivison at the time, a plan the family once considered.
Through discussions with the Trust, the family ultimately decided on a simple three-lot subdivision that included a two-acre residential lot where the family's home was located, a 33-acre farmland parcel and a 23-acre wetlands parcel -- which is today the Cassidy Preserve.
The Trust also worked with the family and coordinated the sale of the development rights on the 33 agricultural acres to the Town of Southold in the same year -- farmland that is still actively farmed to this day.
The Cassidy Preserve serves as an important buffer between the agricultural lands to the northeast and the pond, a tidal wetland that is part of a vast estuary ecosystem that eventually drains into Peconic Bay.
![block.image[0].title](/assets/images/Cassidy_Preserves_Southold_C_Kraft273F.jpg)
photo by Christine Kraft
As part of the conservation plan, the Trust embarked on a wetlands restoration project with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, led by Chris Pickerell. The wetlands had become a dredge spoil area dating back to the early 1960s. Fortunately, the fill area was shallow and the source of tidal water close. The restoration project re-opened the tidal creek and created a low marsh and tidal pond habitat that included the replanting for smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) … restoring a productive wetland and contributing to a healthier bay system.
Today, the wetlands of the Cassidy Preserve are a thriving habitat.
We thank the Cassidy family for seeking out an alternative conservation plan for their lands!
To learn more about the conservation of this multi-faceted natural landscape, see the cover story from our Spring 1998 newsletter.
Visitor Information
The Cassidy Preserve supports a wide variety of wildlife -- including ospreys, hawks, nesting birds, diamondback terrapins, bay scallops, hard clams and finfish -- along with a diverse array of wetland and woodland trees and shrubs.
While there are no public trails on this wetland preserve, a view across the preserve can be seen from the Main Road and Albertson Lane. Also, paddlers on Hashamomuck Pond can enjoy the preserve's shoreline.
For paddlers, the Hashamomuck Marine Waterway Access Site is a nearby launch site.
Cassidy Preserve
1435 Albertson Ln, Greenport, NY 11944
Things To Do
Birdwatching
Photography
Nature Study
Paddling
Get Involved
The Trust also makes the preserve available for educational and scientific activities compatible with its ecological character. For more information, contact Matt Swain, Vice President.
Get in Touch
photo by Christine Kraft
